Heather Mills is taking her advocacy of animals to the next level and declaring herself a vegan. While Heather is no stranger to the limelight after a very public divorce from Sir Paul McCartney as well as recent appearances on Dancing With the Stars, she is prepared to use her celebrity status to highlight factory farming and its impact on the environment. In a recent quote she states:

“I’m a vegan now – a healthy diet which saves animals, something very important to me as I detest cruelty. Following a plant-based diet not only benefits your health massively but also makes a huge difference to the planet, to animals and to feeding the world. My hope is to continue to put the message out there.”–

Joining the ranks of other vegan celebs including Alicia Silverstone, Pamela Anderson and Natalie Portman. No doubt the recent The New York Times op ed article advocating a controversial spin on the vegan lifestyle provide these vegan proponents a platform to support something they are all clearly passionate about. And if nothing else, Heather joins an important community advocating the connection of our personal health as related to the environment.

I thought she’d been vegan for a while, but at any rate, good for her.

I think that op-ed in the NY Times was a bit hysterical. The American Dietic Association states that a well planned vegetarian or vegan diet is suitable for all ages and life stages. If you eat a balanced diet with lots of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and more, and make sure you get enough vitamin B12 and vitamin D (in fortified soy milk or in pill form), and omega 3 fatty acids (found in flax seed, walnuts, hempseed and other plant based sources), you’ll be covering your bases. And you won’t have to worry about salmonella, e-coli, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and other ailments linked to meat and dairy consumption.

wordster

The public is so brainwashed by the advertising we’ve been seeing all our lives from the meat and dairy industry that the scientific evidence concerning the dangers from consuming these products is rarely heard, although it is becoming harder and harder to ignore the evidence all around us. It’s good to see Heather Mills spreading the word about dairy.

Dr. Frank Oski, former director of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University said, ‘There is no reason to drink cow’s milk at any time in your life. It was designed for calves, it was not designed for humans, and we should all stop drinking it today, this afternoon.’

Dr. Spock agreed, saying, ‘[T]here was a time when cow’s milk was considered very desirable. But research, along with clinical experience, has forced
doctors and nutritionists to rethink this recommendation.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that western nations that consume a lot of meat/dairy have the highest levels of osteoporosis, which is caused by eating a lot of animal protein. It says, ‘…hip fracture rates are higher in developed countries where calcium intake is high than in developing countries where calcium intake is low…fracture risk has recently been shown to be a function of protein intake in North American women.’ Anyone concerned about osteoporosis should read this informative WHO report which can be found here:http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2004/9241546123_chap4.pdf